c/chimney-sweeps

That job on Maple Street where the owner had been burning pressure-treated wood for 2 years

I got called out to a house on Maple Street last fall for a chimney fire. When I got up on the roof and looked inside, the creosote buildup was unlike anything I had seen before. The owner came out and told me he'd been burning old pressure-treated lumber scraps from a deck rebuild. I tried to explain why that's so dangerous, but he just shrugged and said it was free fuel. I ended up having to do a full chemical cleaning and install a new liner. That experience made me change how I approach the initial walkthrough - now I always ask what kind of wood they burn and check the firebox for any weird colored ash. Anyone else run into homeowners who don't believe treated wood is bad for chimneys?

That homeowner who asked if I could just 'vacuum' the creosote out

I was up on a roof in Portland last Tuesday when the guy comes out and says 'can't you just run a shop vac down there instead of all that scraping?' and I nearly dropped my brush right there. Has anyone else gotten a request so ridiculous you just had to laugh before explaining why that won't work?

TIL that expensive rotary brush kit was a total waste of cash

I dropped $450 on that fancy rotary brush kit for cleaning heavy creosote last fall, and the motor burned out after just three jobs on my regular route around Portland. The replacement parts cost almost as much as a new unit, and now I'm back to using my old hand tools that have never let me down. Anyone else get suckered into buying fancy gear that just couldn't hold up to daily use?

I finally figured out why my chimney crowns kept cracking after two years

For about three years I was mixing my crown mortar way too dry because I thought stiffer meant stronger. It wasn't until I had a job up in Portland last spring where the homeowner was watching me and said 'hey, that mix looks like it's gonna dust out in a season.' I blew him off at first (I've been doing this 12 years, you know?). But I went back and checked some of my older crowns and sure enough, they had these hairline spider cracks all over the top surface. So I tried a wetter mix on the next one, like almost soup consistency but still holding shape, and it cured out smooth as glass. Now I wet the brick edges too before I trowel on the crown, which helps with adhesion. Anyone else had trouble finding that sweet spot with mortar consistency for flat work?

Old timer told me my brush was too small for a 12-inch flue

Was cleaning a job in an old Victorian in Portland last fall and a retired sweep watched me struggle for a good five minutes before he said anything. He pointed out I was using a 10-inch brush on a 12-inch flue and that's why I kept missing soot on the corners. Switched to a proper 12-inch poly brush and never looked back - anyone else get a tip from a stranger that totally changed their method?

Creosote buildup caught me off guard on a routine job

I was doing a standard clean on a house in the suburbs last Thursday and found a thick layer of creosote in the smoke chamber that I somehow missed on the initial look. Had to break out the rotary brush and spend an extra 45 minutes scraping it down. Anyone else had that sneaky buildup hide in plain sight?

Just noticed a problem with old clay flue liners at a job in Richmond

I was doing a routine cleaning last Tuesday on a house built in 1952 and saw the clay liner had cracks running all the way down one side. The homeowner said they never had it inspected because it looked fine from the bottom. Has anyone else run into hidden damage like this behind older liners?

Big shoutout to the old timer who told me to sweep from the top down

Met a guy named Frank at the supply house last month, been doing this 30+ years. He insisted I start my residential jobs from the roof, not the firebox. Said I was pushing all the heavy creosote down into the smoke shelf. I was skeptical but tried it on a job in Cleveland this week. No joke, cut my cleanup time by almost 20 minutes per house. Anyone else have a mentor give them a game changing tip they ignored at first?

Picked a polypropylene brush over wire bristles for a heavy creosote job and got roasted for it

Last winter I had this one house in Brookline where the chimney was caked with a good quarter inch of glazed creosote. The old timers in my crew swore I needed a wire brush to really dig in there, but I went with my polypropylene one instead. Took me about 45 extra minutes of scrubbing in passes to get it all off, but I didn't scratch the terra cotta liner at all. Wire bristles would've left grooves that catch soot faster next time, and that's a call back waiting to happen. My guy Mike still gives me crap about it saying I'm too soft on the tools, but I haven't had a single complaint from that customer yet. Has anyone else here stuck with softer brushes for tough jobs and actually seen it pay off?

Spent 6 hours yesterday chasing a draft in a flue that just needed a $5 gasket

Pulled the liner three times checking for cracks before I noticed the old gasket had crumbled into dust. Anyone else ever overlook the simplest fix and waste half a day on it?

Found a way to clean really tight bends without a whip

Had a job in an old house near downtown Austin last week. The flue had a 45 degree bend I couldn't get my standard brush through. Tied a sock filled with chain links to my rod and pushed it through slow. Worked way better than I expected and didn't scratch the liner. Anyone else use a DIY trick like that for tricky spots?

Old timer told me to switch my brush direction on creosote build up

I was scrubbing a heavy glaze in a 1970s fireplace in Portland and a retired sweep watched me for five minutes before saying "you're pushing the crap back into the flue, go the other way". I flipped my brush around and pulled instead of pushed, and the third pass knocked off way more than I got in the first fifteen minutes. Anybody run into a stubborn layer that needed a total angle change like that?

Traditional brush vs rotary rod - which actually cleans better?

I've been using a standard brush and rods for 10 years, but my buddy swears by the rotary system for heavy creosote. Last week I did a job where the buildup was thick, and I wonder if the rotary would have saved me an hour. What's your experience with this?

PSA: That one rainy Tuesday almost cost me a roof fire

Last Tuesday I had a job in Columbus where the homeowner hadn't cleaned their chimney in 6 years. I pulled out nearly a full 5-gallon bucket of creosote, it was thick and shiny like tar. The worst part was the bird nest wedged right above the damper, probably blocking half the flue. If they had lit a fire that night, I'm pretty sure the whole thing would have caught. How often do you guys see nests that bad in your area?

Bought a $40 inspection mirror with a light, best money I ever spent.

Found a cracked flue tile on a job in Springfield that my camera missed because of the angle. What's your go-to tool for tricky spots?

Shoutout to the old timers who used to climb without a harness

I was reading a trade history book from the library and it said in 1950, over 40% of sweeps had a major fall. Anyone know an old sweep with stories like that?

Vent: Bought a $300 'universal' chimney camera that fried on the first damp flue.

Found a raccoon family living in a chimney I was cleaning in Asheville

I got a call for a standard cleaning at an old cabin outside Asheville. The homeowner said it had been a few years, so I expected some soot. When I got my camera up there, I saw four little faces staring back at me. A whole raccoon family had made a nest right in the flue. I had to call a wildlife removal guy, which cost me $300 out of my own pocket because the homeowner refused to pay for it. The worst part was waiting two hours for the guy to show up while the mom raccoon kept chattering at my camera. I lost a whole afternoon's work. Has anyone else had a job completely derailed by unexpected tenants? What did you do?

My old boss told me to never trust a clean-looking flue on a 1950s house

He said those old unlined chimneys can look fine but be full of hidden cracks. Last month in Cincinnati, I skipped the camera check on one that looked spotless. Found out the hard way when the homeowner called back with smoke in their living room. Who else has been burned by advice that seemed too cautious at the time?

I just logged my 100th creosote removal this season

I keep a simple tally in my work log, and hitting that number yesterday really made me pause. It means I've pulled over 400 pounds of that nasty stuff out of chimneys in the last six months. The last one was a bad level three buildup in a 1970s ranch house, about 40 pounds alone. That volume of work shows how many folks are burning wood without proper maintenance. Has anyone else seen a jump in these heavy cleanouts compared to last year?

Just read that a single chimney fire can reach 2000 degrees Fahrenheit

I was looking at an old safety guide from the Chimney Safety Institute of America and that number really hit me. It explains why we see so much damage to flue tiles even from small, quick fires. Has anyone else come across stats that made you change how you talk to homeowners about cleaning?

A customer in Tacoma told me my inspection camera work was too fast to be thorough, so I now add a mandatory 5-minute review pause before giving the all-clear.

What's a piece of tough feedback that actually improved your routine?

Switched from a standard brush to a poly brush for a 12x12 flue last month and the difference was insane

Shoutout to my old boss for the worst advice ever

My first boss, Jerry, told me to always use a 6-inch brush on any flue liner, no matter what. Tried it on a 7-inch clay tile in a 1920s house in Pasadena last week and just pushed all the soot around. Had to go back with the right size and do the whole job over. Anyone else have a 'Jerry' story from when they were starting out?

Had to choose between a standard brush and a poly brush for a tight flue in an old Annapolis row house.

The flue was only 8x8 inches, and my boss said to just force the standard one. I went with the poly brush anyway, and it flexed perfectly without scratching the historic liner. What would you have picked for a tight, old masonry flue?